Improved apparatus for amalgamating gold afctd silver



' mires iid ai@ gaat ROBERT MCCULLY, OF PHILADLPIIIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 87,27 6,

elated Febraa/ry 23, 1869.

IMPROVE!) APPARATUS FCR AMALG-AMATING G-OLZD AND SILVER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making paxt of the tame.l

To all whom it may concer-n:

Be it known that I, ROBERT MCOULLY, of Philadelphia,`in the county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new andimproved Amalgamating-Apparatus for 'the Treatment of the Ores of Precious Metals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming'a part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is a top or plan view of my apparatus.

Figure'2, a central vertical section, in the'line :c a: of

iig. 1..

Like letters indicate Similar parts in each of the figures. The nature of my invention consists of an improved apparatus for thoroughly subjecting iine auriferous or argentiferous ores, either from a mill or from slnice- Washin gs, to the action of an amalgamating-bath, wherein the weight of the column of ore is made to operate in combination with revolving'shafts and suitable paddle-arms, or blades, to force the orethrough the mercnry.

Various descriptions of apparatus, to operate upon this principle, have heretoforebeen designed, and, to some extent, made use of; but, in `all of them, so far as they have come to my notice, the Working of the apparatus is complicated, either by a revolution of the cylinder, or hopper, through which the ore descends to the bath, or by a revolution of the shaft, carrying distributing and conveying-blades Within said hopper, or otherwise. p

To obviate the disadvantages incident to the machines now in use, and to produce a machine-especially adapted to sluiceewashing, and also equally adapted to milling-operations, I lhave invented and perfected the apparatus herein illustrated and described.

It consists of an eiitended, elevated hopper, or oreconveyer, A, placed lin an inclined or nearly vert-ical position, constructed of such a height as to contain a heavy column of pulver-ized ore or washings from a mill or sluice, and tapering gradually toward its mouth, at the lower end thereof'. This conveyer, or hopper,-A, may be made of wood or metal, and its inner surface is made as smooth and uniform as possible, to facilitate the descent of the ore therein.

Its mouth, or discharging-vent, a, 2,.is of a narrow, extended formfreaching across the entire width of the'amalgamating-chamber, into which it opens, at or near the bottom thereof.

lt is opened and closed at pleasure by a vertical gate, B, operated from above. (See iig. 2.)

The amalgamating-chamber Gis constructed horizontally at the foot of the conveyer A, and is equal in width thereto.

It is made perfectly close and tight, but is provided with an outlet-aperture, l), corresponding to the inletaperture a from the conveyer, but formed in the side of the chamber opposite thereto, as shown in fig. 2.Y

This outlet b from the amalgamatingfchamber O opens into a narrow vertical penstock, or sluice,-D, of moderate height, so arranged as to discharge upon an overshot-wheel, E, and thus create power Wherewith to assist in driving the operative machinery of the apparatus.

The outlet b is opened and closed, and the discharge of the debris andkwater from the amalgamating-chamber is controlled at pleasure bymeans of a sluice-gate, F, of any suitable construction.

Within the amalgamating-chamber O, I place one or more horizontal shafts S, provided with floats, or paddles, which, in their revolution, will thoroughly stir and agitate the quicksilver, and mix and intermingle there with all thefme particles of ore entering the chamber. Where two or-rnore horizontal shafts S are used, I cause the paddles on the adjacent shafts. to interlock in their revolutions, as illustrated in fig. 1.

The shafts S S are made to revolve by means of any suitable form of gearing connecting their outer ends with the driving-power of the apparatus.

Where the apparatus is used to treat sluice-,Washings, I place an oscillating sieve, G, at the upper end of the conveyer A, to receive the Washiugs and ore from the slnices, This sieve, being kept in constant motion by means of suitable machinery connecting it with the driving-power of the apparatus, will sift and separate from the ne'ores all coarse particles, stones, Src.

- The operation of my machine is simple and effective. The amalgamating-chamher C is nearly lled withv lQuicksilver, as indicated by the dotted lines in iig. 2,

and the revolving paddle-shafts S then put in motion, to agitate it. The debris of ores .containing the precious metals is delivered, either from the sluices or from a suitable mill, into the upper end of the conveyer A. If from slnices, .it iirst passes through the sieves Gr, and all coarse material is removed therefrom. So soon as the conveyer A becomes filled With the Water and ores from the mill or slnices, a powerful pressure will be exerted thereby upon the lower portion thereof,

at its outlet-aperture a, so that, when the gate B is opened, a thin, extended stream of the debris will be, forced into the amalgamating-chamber O, under the quicksilver, along the entire width of the chamber. So soon as this stream of the tine ore enters the chamber, it will be caught and agitated by the paddles into intimate and thorough contact with the mercury, sol

that a perfect amalgamation of any andY every particle of the precious metals in the ore issecured.

The flow of the debris through they mercury is regulated by thc gate Fact' the discharginglsluice, which permits the escape of the waste' debris, or tailingsg and Water, upon the overshot-wheel E, thus utilizing the same, to obtain power' for driving the shafts S. Thus, by means of the gate F, the proper degree of pressure of the column of ore into the amalgamating-chamber, and the passage thereof through said chamber, are so regulatedA as to control perfectly the treatment of' the ore in contact with the mercury.

The vertical penstock, or sluice, D, prevents any escape or loss of mercury in the operation of the niachine.

' Having thus fully described my improved apparatus for the amalgamation of the precious metals from th'eir ores,

I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters latenti The combination of. a horizontal amalgamating-chamber, C, containing revolving agitatingfshafts S, with an elevated conveyerf' A, at one end, and a vertical discharg`e-s1uice, or penstock, D, at the other, substan tially in the mannenand for the purpose herein set forth.

Also, in combination with the elevated conveyer A, horizontal amalgamating-c'hamber O, and vertical discharge-sluice D, herein described, an oscillating sieve, G, at the upper end of said conveyerA, and a powerwheel, E, at the imouth of the discharge-slnice D, arranged and operating substantially as herein set forth.

The foregoing specification of my improved amalgamating-apparatus, signed by me, this 21st day of J anuary, 1869.

Vitnesses: ROBT MCGULLY.

DAVID A. BURR, WM, H. ROWE. 

